The man on a mission to raise awareness of bipolar

A charity boss set off from Wearside on a nine-day walk - tackling nine marathons.

Simon Kitchen is doing it to mark World Bipolar Day. His trek symbolises the average 9.5 years it takes to get a diagnosis of bipolar in the UK.

One million people are living with the condition

Simon Kitchen, the chief executive of Bipolar UK, is raising awareness and vital funds to support the one million people in the UK living with bipolar.

Estimates show that 56% of people with the condition don’t yet have a diagnosis. 

Simon will set off from Durham Cathedral with Jeremy Clark (Bipolar UK trustee and Rotary Bipolar eClub member) and Jeremy’s wife Daisy, and support from British actor Adam Deacon.

'Fully outside my comfort zone'

Rotary members in the area will be supporting the mission by handing out leaflets, encouraging people to talk about bipolar symptoms and raising awareness about the charity’s support services. 

Simon said: “This walk will put me fully outside my comfort zone, having never walked this far before. But we wanted to really push our limits.

“Every half marathon we’ll walk represents a whole year that our community lives without a diagnosis, often struggling with really difficult symptoms. 

It can cost people their homes and jobs

“People living with undiagnosed bipolar can experience alternating periods of debilitating low mood and periods of hypomania where they might take impulsive risks, massively overspend, and experience paranoid delusions. Tragically, these challenges often result in the loss of jobs, homes, and lives.

“Getting a diagnosis of bipolar is crucial because it means someone can get the treatment and support they need to have a much better chance of living well with the condition." 

Joy Palmer Cooper, District Governor for Rotary North East, said: “It’s a privilege to support and raise awareness for such an important cause in the build up to World Bipolar Day on March 30."

Up to one in five people with bipolar take their own lives

More than one million people are living with bipolar in the UK. 

Fewer than half are diagnosed, partly due to lack of awareness of the condition, where symptoms can be often overlooked or misdiagnosed. 

Up to 1 in 5 people with bipolar take their own live.

Younger people living with bipolar are also 50 times more likely to take their life, compared to their peers. 

Bipolar UK is currently running a 6-month awareness campaign, with ‘Could it be bipolar?’ posters and leaflets, in 61 GP surgeries across the North East, to help educate people on the symptoms of bipolar and the support that is available.

For more information, visit www.bipolaruk.org